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Ethiopian Jews Mark Sigd in Jerusalem With Prayers for Peace and Freedom
Illustrative: Ethiopian Jews eating matzot in synagogue last year. Photo: Struggle to Save Ethiopian Jewry (SSEJ)
Thousands of Ethiopian Jews gathered in Jerusalem on Thursday to celebrate Sigd, an ancient holiday that has taken on renewed meaning amid Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas.
The celebration, held annually on the 29th of the month of Cheshvan (50 days after Yom Kippur), saw worshippers converge on the Armon Hanatziv Promenade — which overlooks the Temple Mount from the south — and the Western Wall for prayers and festivities.
Sigd, which means “prostration” in Ge’ez (Classical Ethiopic), has been observed by Ethiopian Jews, the Beta Israel, for centuries as a day to renew their covenant with God and express their longing for Zion. Traditionally in Ethiopia, community members would ascend a high mountain to pray, symbolizing the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Now in Israel, the community continues this tradition with a focus on unity and cultural pride.
This year’s prayers focused on the safe return of the 101 hostages held in Gaza, including Avraham Mengistu, a member of the Ethiopian community. Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who attended the ceremony, emphasized the holiday’s relevance to current events, saying, “Our brothers and sisters have not yet returned home from Gaza. Their voices cry out to us from underground, reminding us that there is no greater mitzvah than the redemption of captives.”
The day began with fasting and prayers, led by spiritual leaders known as Kessim, who are parallel to the rabbis found in other Jewish communities. Many worshippers wore traditional white garments. The Kessim carried the Orit, the Ethiopian Torah written in the ancient Ge’ez language, and recited passages including parts of the Book of Nehemiah.
Deputy Knesset Speaker Moshe Solomon, a rabbi and a lieutenant colonel in the IDF reserves who made aliyah from Ethiopia via Sudan in 1983, highlighted the dual nature of this year’s prayers, focusing on traditional themes and current national concerns. “The prayer was said for the success of the security forces at the front,” he noted. “It was said for the unity of Israel and the rebuilding of Jerusalem, for the return of the hostages, and for the healing of the wounded in body and soul.”
Sigd became an official Israeli state holiday in 2008 and continues to serve as a bridge between Ethiopian Jewish traditions and the wider Israeli society.
Qes Efraim Zion Lawi, the first Israeli-born Qes (spiritual leader) of the Ethiopian Jewish community, emphasized the holiday’s significance: “Sigd is about hope. The hope of living in Israel and rebuilding the temple. Until the day that happens, we need to keep our Jewish and Ethiopian identities alive and thriving.”
The celebration included an exhibition at the Western Wall, showcasing the history of the Ethiopian Jewish community from biblical times. Later in the day, the fast was broken with festive meals and dancing, reminiscent of the traditional celebrations in Ethiopia.
Sigd stands as a reminder of the power of faith, unity, and cultural heritage in the face of adversity. The holiday’s observance in Israel has evolved since the community’s immigration, with celebrations now lasting for an entire month leading up to the 29th of Cheshvan. This extended period provides an opportunity to raise awareness about Ethiopian Jewish culture and educate Israeli society about Beta Israel customs.
The post Ethiopian Jews Mark Sigd in Jerusalem With Prayers for Peace and Freedom first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.